Devex offices are closed this week for a summer break. Instead of our regular Newswire, we are bringing you deep dives into some of this year's biggest development stories. Today, we delve into the workforce challenges that globaldev staff face.
Working in development is hard. For many who enter this line of work, it isn’t about the money, but rather the opportunity to do something worthwhile, live one’s values, or find passion in a particular cause. Much of the public attention around global development focuses on the work itself — the issues, the policies, the funding.
But behind all of that are institutions and organizations staffed by people. The circumstances and conditions of their employment tend to go largely unnoticed, even though the health of that workforce is a critical factor in whether efforts to tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges are effective or not.
About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.
